history coursework on women suffrage 1870

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Name: Taiyyib Hussain        

Subject: History

Question: Why did a campaign for Female suffrage develop in the years after 1870?

The campaign for female suffrage developed in the years 1870 because of these factors: Education, Industrialisation and political change. Throughout history men have mainly dominated society. Before 1870, a large-scale movement had not happened. In Britain women suffered from a number of restrictions: both laws which were made to restrict their freedom and what the modern society thought a woman’s role and qualities should be. John Ruskin wrote in Sesame and Lilies 1865, ‘The qualities a nineteenth century ideal wife should have are that she should accept that she has a lower status than man (especially her husband) as she is less intelligent, and weaker.’ When a woman was married, her money, her possessions and even the women herself legally became her husband’s property. A wife was expected to look slim and delicate. Pale skin was the sign of well-bred young women. Tanned skin was a sign of a woman working. These factors linked together and raised women’s profile in society. It inspired them to campaign for female suffrage after 1870.

In the 19th century women had almost no property rights, very little employment opportunities and hardly any political rights.

However between 1869 and 1928 a series of laws allowed women to have more political and personal freedom.

There was some progress made before 1869: in 1857 the Matrimonial Court Act set up a cheaper and simpler system of getting divorced. However, in other areas there appears to be little control about important benefits for women in general, particularly middle- class women, who were still barred from many jobs. Before 1870, the government did not seem to be taking any action in order to give women more rights. Therefore the Matrimonial Court Act motivated the women to campaign for female suffrage because they were stated as independent women, as well as this factor correlated with the acceptance of more available jobs for women.

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In 1869 single females who paid taxes were allowed to vote in public council elections, making up 15% of the total voters. This was a starting point as it gave women more political opportunities (though it excluded married women). As single females were allowed to vote in public elections this enhanced the thinking of married women to also have the opportunity to vote which concluded to a campaign for female suffrage in 1870.

By 1861, women outnumbered men in textile factories. Women’s higher image in the work force meant that a growing number of single women had to strive to ...

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